A Vivid Reminder
by supernaturaldh
Summary: Castiel, being the 'new' god, has Sam, Dean, and Bobby on the run from their former friend. With the wall gone Sam is in a fragile state, Dean is over-protective, and Bobby, well, he's just really pissed off.


**Title:** A Vivid Reminder

**Author:** supernaturaldh

**Rating:** PG13

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, no ownership here.

**Recipient: **4everkizuna

**Characters:** Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Cas

**Tag to:** The Man Who knew too much

**Rated:** PG13

**Beta: **Mizpah & Ziggy – Thank you my Safe Haven Girls…you both rock!

**A/N:** Thank you so much to 4everkizuna for such a wonderful prompt. Thanks to everyone at the site for allowing me to participate. The story was easy to write and so much fun to do.

**Original Prompt:**_ Cas is the __'__new__'__ god and has Sam, Dean, and Bobby on the run from their former friend. With the wall gone, Sam is fragile, but not broken (mostly thanks to Dean) When Cas corners them in a remote part of the country one of his enemies corners him too. Sam saves Cas, taking the figurative bullet (could be a literal bullet too) I would love to see Sam hurt, traumatized and childlike, Dean protective and scared, Bobby paternal, and Cas figuring out what he__'__s done._

**Summary:**Castiel, being the 'new' god, has Sam, Dean, and Bobby on the run from their former friend. With the wall gone Sam is in a fragile state, Dean is over-protective, and Bobby, well, he's just really pissed off. When the former angel corners the hunters in a remote part of Wyoming, he's surprised when a demon finds him too. What happens next is a real and vivid reminder, of just what he has done.

**A Vivid Reminder **

Dean Winchester wasn't stupid; one second in hell seemed like forever, but one hundred and fifty years in hell, well that **was **forever.__He sighed wearily, knowing his kid brother may never be the same. He'd been to hell, and back, and he knew it was no freaking picnic. He blinked his bloodshot eyes. _God, one hundred and fifty years with Lucifer locked inside a cage. _He couldn't think about his little brother like that, he didn't't want to.

Warm teardrops welled up in his eyes and he hastily blinked them back.

"You need to get some sleep." Bobby's voice boomed from the other side of the tiny room.

Dean's head tugged upward and he glanced sideways at his oldest and dearest friend, his only friend now, besides Sam. He hiccupped in an uncontrolled breath of air and stared at the red numbers of the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand between the lumpy beds. _2:15 a.m_. It seemed like years since yesterday.

"I'll stay awake, son," Bobby reassured him, "I promise, I'll watch Sam."

Dean swallowed convulsively and tried to push the myriad of bad thoughts from his aching head. _I__'__m supposed to take care of Sam. _He chewed nervously on his lower lip. It was so hard, watching Sam like this; it was heartbreaking. His kid brother hadn't been the same since Castiel had vanished and Bobby had dragged their asses out of the warehouse in Kansas. He didn't talk, and the nightmares, waking and sleeping, well they were just too hard to watch.

Dean tugged the blankets up against his little brother's chest and tucked them in like he did when Sam was small. For the last twenty-four hours, Sam had been almost childlike, and just the thought of Castiel purposely hurting Sam, well, it really pissed Dean off.

The older brother sighed wearily. He wasn't sure who he was more pissed off at, himself for being stupid and gullible and trusting a freaking angel, or Castiel, for being such a prick. He shook his head in disbelief - the irony of it all – _Sam trusted a demon, and I trusted an angel?_ _What is up with that? _The room swayed lightly and he grasped the bedpost with his fingertips, gripping tightly as he swayed. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd really even slept.

"Lie down before you fall down!" Bobby demanded.

Dean raised his head and squinted at his friend. _Damn old man… _He gazed one last time at Sam and absently brushed the too long hair away from his sleeping brother's eyes. "It's going to be okay Sammy," he whispered, "you'll see, it's all going to be okay."

"Dean…" Bobby said gruffly, his voice tinged exhaustion. "Sam's going to be fine, but you Dean; you need to get some sleep." The senior hunter shifted uncomfortably in the chair he'd planted himself in when they'd arrived at the rundown excuse for a motel earlier in the evening. "We got to hit the road at first light," he reminded. "You know, we need to put some more miles between us and that damn angel."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Dean said tiredly. He turned resignedly and slumped down on the other bed, not even bothering to remove his over shirt or boots. He was too tired to care. As he drifted off to sleep, he tried not to think about the circumstances that Castiel had put them in. "You'll wake me if something happens with Sammy, right?" he mumbled into the pillow as his burning eyes slid shut. _I__'__ll just rest my eyes for a minute._

"Yeah kid," Bobby said with a deep and worried sigh, "you know I will."

**-0-**

Time didn't seem to move for Bobby Singer as he sat quietly in the corner of the nameless motel room. He'd been watching the alarm clock on the faux-pine nightstand for the last hour and a half and he just wanted to throw the damn thing out the window.

He and Dean had been sleeping in shifts the last week or so, looking out for Sam.

Sam. The kid had been unconscious for days just after Castiel had dropped the wall, a diversionary tactic to keep Bobby and Dean out of the way while he tricked the demon Crowley. _Damn demon got what he deserved_. Sam though, the kid had pushed back against the hell fire burning inside of his head, he'd fought against the memories, woken up, found Dean's note, found a car, and came to save his brother.

Bobby sighed; he should have expected no less. _Kid would not go down without a fight_.

The youngest hunter had been clinging to Dean ever since, like he was the only thing tethering him to the real world. He was uncoordinated and slow, and he seemed to drift a lot, losing focus, looking at something that only he could see.

Bobby exhaled noiselessly and focused his eyes on the sleeping Winchesters.

They'd been moving fast, attempting to get away from Castiel before the angel had changed his mind, had come after them again. _Damn angel went and killed Balthazar and Raphael, and then, threatened to smite all three of us. _

They'd been on the run ever since.

The sleep deprived man dragged his hand across his face. _Who__'__d__'__a thought, angels could get all hopped up on soul juice?_ He yanked his ball cap down to cover his eyes. This was all just a freaking mess. He thought of Dean. Dean, the kid was blaming himself for all of it, for Sam jumping into the pit, for supporting his brother when he did it, and then, for allowing it to happen. Dean was so focused on taking care of Sam the last week that he was letting his own health slide, and that didn't bode well with Bobby. _Nope, I__'__ll just have to take care of Dean myself._

So, here they were, in some no-tell motel just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Bobby shimmed his behind up against the wooden chair. _Man, this chair is hurting my ass_.

It'd been a long two days on the run from Castiel; well - not as long as when Bobby's wife had died, and not near as long as when Dean had died and went to hell. He sighed; he didn't't want to think about that; at least this time, they'd all made it out alive.

Yawning, the senior hunter grabbed the lukewarm cup of coffee from the battered table top. He held the mug against his lips and swallowed down the tasteless brew. The coffee was cold now, but it would do the trick, keep his butt awake, and that, well, it was all he could ask for at the moment, just to stay awake and watch out for his boys.

**-0-**

Another hour ticked by on the face of the clock and Bobby's eyelids began to droop.

"Don't," Sam muttered, his brow wrinkled, his hands clenching around the blanket and the sheet.

Bobby's head immediately shot up, already wide awake, concern edged its way into his haggard face. He pushed his ball cap backwards and stared across at Sam.

The kid continued to toss and turn beneath the covers, his wild hair splayed out against the pillow top, his fingers knotting in the covers.

Bobby leaned forward in his chair, watching intently, waiting.

"Don't...please…" Sam whimpered.

Bobby gazed anxiously at the boy. _Should I wake up his big brother?_

After a moment though, Sam seemed to settle, and with a soft sigh, he drifted back to sleep.

Bobby blinked several times to hold back the sudden moisture that welled against his eyes. _Kid may never be the same_. He shuffled uncomfortably against the hard back wooden chair as his mind reeled deeper into thought. _Damn angel, god, whatever the hell Castiel thought that he was_.His fingers folded angrily around the empty paper cup and he crushed it tightly in his hand. _One thing is for damn sure, that angel is mine now. _

**-0- **

_Dean smiled at the blond haired, blue eyed girl as she inched in closer to his side. This is nice, very nice. __"__So,__"__ the young beauty said in an over eager tone, __"__you want to have sex with me or what.__"__Oh yeah, Dean though, as a bright smile curled against his lips._

"Dean," a loud voice bellowed in Dean's ear as a firm hand gave him a harsh shake.

_What the hell?___

"Dean…wake up…your brother wants breakfast."

_Sammy can go get his own freaking breakfast…geez!_

Dean nuzzled down deeper into the lumpy mattress attempting to refocus on his dream.

"Dean," Bobby's voice was louder this time his warm breath blowing lightly against Dean's slack, and sleeping, face. "Dean, you got to wake up, now!"

Slowly Dean's head cleared. He rolled over on the uncomfortable bed and blinked open his gritty eyes. Bobby's face was not three inches from his own, and he flinched unconsciously. "Personal space dude," he slurred groggily, his fingers swiping at his eyes.

"Uh huh…" Bobby stood back up, hands on his hips, and nodded toward the other bed. "I think Sam's ready for breakfast."

Dean followed Bobby's gaze, past the clock that now said 6:45 am, to his little brother, who was fully dressed sitting on the opposite bed, which, by the way, was very neatly made. Sam was staring wide eyed at him like he did when he was five years old.

"Sammy, you hungry," Dean asked as he rolled to sit up, placing both his booted feet down against the dirty carpeted floor. He pushed his hand back through his short cropped hair and looked closely at his little brother's face.

Sam just looked at him.

"So, what do you want for breakfast kiddo?" Dean enquired as he proceeded to sniff his tee-shirt to see if he really needed to take a shower or not. _Can I make it through another day? _

"You smell okay," Bobby said gruffly. He shuffled around the room gathering up their meager belongings. "I dozed off for like ten minutes. I woke up to find Sam just like this." His eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if he were surprised. "Guess the kid's ready to go." He snorted. "I'll be loading up the car."

_The car_, Dean cringed at the thought. _My baby, the Impala, is stuck back there in Kansas. _He glanced across at Sam and let loose a fatigued sigh. _Man, I hate that. _He stood and stretched his arms up and over his head, joints and muscles popping as he looked fixedly at Sam. _Coffee does sounds pretty damn good right now. _He noticed immediately that Sam was tapping his forefinger and thumb together again, over and over and over, a nervous habit he seemed to have picked up just since the wall breaking episode. If the kid wasn't tapping, he was counting, which really did drive Dean crazy. He'd much rather Sam tap his fingers then count all the freaking time.

"What do you want for breakfast, Sammy?" He asked gently one more time. He waited.

Wide hazel eyes blinked innocently back at him.

The big brother held his breath, unconsciously hoping that Sam would be interacting more today.

Seconds went by, it seemed like an eternity to the older brother.

"Breakfast Sammy?" he asked patiently again.

Finally, after several more long moments, Sam responded, "Pan…pancakes." He pushed up on shaky legs to stand. He swayed.

Dean grabbed for Sam immediately, attempting to steady him as he looked down at his brother's bare feet. "You might need your shoes for this one, kiddo." He gave his little brother an awkward smile.

Slowly, methodically, Sam looked down at his feet. He wiggled his toes. "Oh…" he whispered in slightly stunned surprise. And there it was… a ghost of a dimpled smile.

The big brother didn't miss it.

Dean smiled. "Shoes first, little brother," he said almost giddily. He physically manhandled Sam to sit back down on the bed.

Bobby walked back into the motel room and grabbed up his gun duffle. "Great day out there kiddies, sun's shining, birds singing…" the hunter's voice trailed off. He glanced at Dean and Sam.

Dean was lacing up Sam's shoes.

It reminded Bobby of when the boys were small, just kids. He swallowed down the sudden lump inside his tightening throat. "Too bad we're on the run and can't enjoy it." He picked up the last of their bags and exited the room.

Dean heard Bobby's words, but at that exact moment, he didn't't really care what, or who, they were running from. He didn't't care if it was raining cats and dogs outside or the sun was shining. Nope, right now; all he cared about was that Sammy had just smiled.

**-0- **

Castiel couldn't figure out why he'd had an unguarded moment and let the Winchesters and Bobby Singer get away- _what is up with that_? One minute he'd wanted to smite them, and the next, well, Dean was talking and something in him wavered. He'd felt it, but couldn't't put his finger on exactly what it was. He'd just had the sudden urge to let the hunters go.

He frowned at his un-god like actions. _I can__'__t let that happen again_. Now, he was going to have to pull out all the stops, and find the wayward hunters. He sighed. _Let__'__s face it; Dean Winchester is really good at hiding. _

The angel turned god smiled. He felt euphoric, and it was amazing. If he'd known that a multitude of souls would've felt this good, well, he'd have eliminated Crowley a long, long time ago. _Power __–__ it feels awesome._

The angel grinned; he figured this was actually how Sam Winchester must've felt when he was drinking demon blood. _Now, I understand why the boy liked it so much._ He snorted at the irony of it all. Other angels might not like it, or him, but he really didn't care. He'd done it; he'd been the one, he'd tricked Crowley, killed Raphael and Balthazar, and now, well, he had all the souls. He was the new god. _Everyone else can, as Dean would say, kiss my freaking ass. _

He grinned wickedly and forced his mind to focus on the Winchesters. Sam, with his broken wall and all, he'd be easy to find.

**-0-**

Crowley was not a happy camper. _Damn Castiel for tricking me and taking all the souls_. _The little battle between us is not over, not by a long shot. _He growled to himself. He'd just needed some time and some help to find the 'new god'. _What weapon will take that abomination out? _

The demon pondered the situation for a long moment, what to do, what to do, what to do?

He knew there were lots of other demons and hell spawn who would wanted Castiel dead. Being the big demon from hell did have some perks though, if they didn't want to help him, well, he'd just make them anyhow. He laughed lightly. He'd pick someone, someone special, a person that would give the Winchesters quite a shock. His eyebrows darted upward in exhilarated delight. He smiled wickedly. The Winchesters were not the only ones who could travel back in time and find the weapon of choice, the only weapon that could take out all things supernatural, and, by the way, the only thing that the current king of hell knew of, that could take out angel-gods.

With that thought, he snapped his fingers, and disappeared into the night.

**-0- **

Dean readjusted his hands on the steering wheel as he reclined back in his seat. _This damn car is not my baby, that__'__s for freaking sure._ He'd been driving down this deserted highway for most of the day, staying off the main roads, sticking to the unbeaten path, running from Castiel. His eyes darted up to the rearview mirror. Bobby Singer was dozing lightly in the back seat of the car, drool decorating his slightly parted lips. The older brother sighed. He honestly didn't think he had ever been more bored in his life. It was bad enough that Bobby was asleep, but his main source of entertainment, Sam, was completely out of it. Dean couldn't even properly listen to the radio; not with Sam in the state that he was in. So he'd turned the music down so low that he had to strain his ears to hear. _What's the point of hard rock if it's not played loudly enough to feel the bass?_

He looked across the bench seat at Sam who seemed to be sleeping, curled up against the passenger door. It seemed like today, day three of their race away from Castiel, had so far been a good day for Sam. Kid was doing better, resting easier.

Dean gripped the steering wheel tighter beneath the palms of his hands. Once his brother was back to normal, whatever normal was going to be these days for Sam, then, they'd make a new plan; hunt down that damn angel god. He was going to kill Castiel based on principle alone - hurting Sam like that, lying to him, and deceiving all three of them.

The car bumped down the asphalt road, the tires whirring beneath it.

Dean fixated on one thought – and one thought only - taking out Castiel. He'd let his anger at his former friend build up until it pumped heatedly through his veins. He pressed the gas pedal harder to the floorboard and directed the car toward the hunter's cabin just outside of Wapiti, Wyoming - he'd have them there before dark.

**-0-**

Bobby Singer felt his body slide forward on the seat, his eyes darted immediately open, and his arms grabbed wildly for purchase. _What the hell?_

"Easy there old man," Dean said as he pushed the gear shift into park. He looked into the rearview at Bobby's confused face. He almost laughed. He watched as the senior hunter relaxed on hearing his words, then looked suddenly uncomfortable, when he realized that he'd fallen asleep.

Dean grinned slyly. "We made it to Caleb's old hunting shack."

Bobby rubbed his hand down his bearded face, swiped off the drool that he'd hoped Dean hadn't seen, and gazed out the passenger window at the rundown clapboard house. It wasn't much, but it was free, and it was hidden, and it would allow Sam time to pull himself together. That was all they needed at this point.

"Sammy?" Dean said gently from the front seat as he reached his hand up and gripped his baby brother by the shoulder, giving Sam a little shake.

Sam's eyes immediately flew open, pupils blown wide. His fingers fumbled and yanked fiercely at the door handle, in an attempt to escape from inside of the car.

The door didn't't budge though, it was locked.

_God, I__'__m glad I put the lock on_, Bobby thought to himself

Sam pushed himself harshly backward away from Dean, against the passenger window, his breath coming in shaky, uneven, little pants.

It was obvious to both Dean and Bobby, the kid was somewhere else.

Dean quickly withdrew his hand and held up both his palms in a placating gesture toward Sam. "Hey…easy….it's okay Sammy," he cooed, "it's just me, it's Dean, you're in the car, remember? You're okay."

Sam blinked at Dean several times, his breath coming out in short, quick, bursts of air.

"D...Dean?" Sam's eyes scrunched tightly shut as he practically curled in on himself like he was in pain.

Dean slowly lowered his hands back down. He didn't't want to agitate his confused sibling any further. He rested one hand lightly on the nape of Sam's neck, his thumb caressing it gently. "It's okay," he whispered. His other hand gripped one of Sam's firmly inside his own, encouraging the kid that he was real, that this was real, that everything was okay.

When Sam didn't't respond, he bent closer to Sam, taking his face between his hands, he whisper into his baby brother's ear, "I'm right here, man. Open your eyes and you'll see me. Come on Sam. See me."

Slowly, Sam's eyes reopened and he looked blankly at Dean. He blinked, and furrowed his brows, like he was trying to remember something. _Dean?_ His head fell limply forward, his forehead slumping down to rest against Dean's shoulder blade. "One, two, three, four," he mumbled.

"It's okay," Dean reassured again as he pulled Sam in a hug. _Sam is counting, this is bad_.

"Five, six, seven…eight…"

"Let's get you inside," the older brother said.

"Pop the lock Dean, I'll get the door," Bobby stated as he slid out of the backseat of the car.

Momentarily the passenger door opened and the senior hunter stooped down on his haunches to look inside at Sam and Dean.

Sam was calmer, still counting though. "Twenty-five, twenty-six…"

"You got him?" Dean asked as he looked at Bobby and pushed Sam physically up against the senior hunter's side.

"I got him." Bobby said firmly as he tugged the quivery form of Sam into a manly hug. "You just get around here, 'cause he's not going to get out of this car without you, that's for freaking sure."

They'd tried this before, Dean allowing Bobby take care of Sam. It never worked; Sam fought Bobby the whole way. It was obvious; Dean was the only one who could manhandle the kid to do anything in the state that he was in.

Dean complied and shimmied out the driver's door, practically running around the Lincoln to the passenger side. _God I hate this car_. He moved in to reach for Sam. _Only Sam would choose a car like this_. He almost laughed at the thought, anything to relieve the stress of dealing with his brother in the state that he was in.

"Dean?" An anxious voice questioned as Sam shoved with weak hands against Bobby's hold. Bright hazel overblown pupils looked hesitantly at the man.

"I'm right here." Dean's arms quickly replaced Bobby's as the hunter released his grip on Sam. Even though Dean's face was mere inches from Sam's own, the kid didn't't seem to focus on him. His head was twisting as he continued to flail weakly around.

Bobby stood quickly to his feet. "You got him?" he asked with concern. He wanted to assist Dean if he were still needed.

"Yeah, yeah, you just get the car unloaded." Dean reassured.

Bobby nodded in compliance. Dean was running this show; he was just here to help.

"Come on Sammy, what you say we get you inside, huh?"

Dean pulled Sam up to stand on his uncooperative legs. Wild eyes blinked at him. He wrapped his arms tighter around his little brother's waist, hoisting Sam firmly up against his side. His fingers gripped one of the belt loops in Sam's now baggy jeans. _Kid__'__s losing weight…_

Dean released a heavy sigh, ever since the wall dropping episode, Sam had been fragile and weak, not eating, barely sleeping. When the kid wasn't having nightmares in his sleep, he was having them while he was awake, it was bad, and it scared the shit out of him and Bobby.

He tugged his brother forward toward the front porch of the old hunting shack.

Sam's head bobbled against his older brother's chest as Dean encouraged him to place one foot in front of the other. "Come on Sammy, you can count the steps as we go up….one, two…that's it."

Dean was sure though, once Sam got through all this, he'd be fine.

He had to be.

**-0-**

Crowley grinned at the blond-haired, green-eyed kid. He had him right where he wanted him.

Lucifer frowned from inside the cage as he gazed in confusion at the current king of hell. _I__'__m so getting out of here one day, and you, my friend, are going down._ "You can't have him; they've already taken Sam, give a guy a break every once in awhile would you?" He sounded kind of pathetic he thought sadly to himself.

"Too bad, so sad, Luci," Crowley snickered. "I want him to go after Castiel, and since he's been down here almost two hundred years, well; we both know he'll a full-fledged demon when he gets out of the cage."

Lucifer huffed and crossed his arms across his chest; this guy was really pissing him off. He couldn't't do anything about it though, not from inside the cage he was currently stuck in. No thanks to Sam Winchester. _ I curse __'__Death__'__ for taking Sam away from me. I miss terrorizing his soul. Fun times!_

Crowley laughed as Adam stepped from the corner of the cage, his skin hanging limply on his flayed and bloody bones. "Hey kid," he said smugly as he stared at the haunted blue/green eyes. There was no denying the kid was kin to Dean Winchester.

"How'd you like to get out of that cage, huh?"

Adam looked questioningly at Crowley. _What?_

"Have I got a deal for you!" the demon said curtly, an evil smile curling to his lips.

Lucifer shook his head in dismay. The damn current king of hell was going to take away his last freaking play-toy.

**-0-**

Day number five in the Winchester-Singer flight from the rogue angel was seemingly turning out to be a fairly good day in Dean's book. Bobby was cleaning all the guns in the front room of the rundown hunting shack, and Dean and Sam had actually been talking, really talking about things Sam had seen in hell. It wasn't much, but at least his little brother hadn't had any episodes and was talking and looking at him. It was something.

"Sam, you want to sit outside?" Dean asked as he saw his little brother look through the pane glass window at the bright mid-morning sky. He waited, knowing Sam would take a moment to get what he was thinking to come out of his mouth. It'd been that way since the wall had dropped.

"Y…yes," Sam smiled slightly, "I'd like…like that," he stammered.

The smile on Sam's face warmed Dean's heart. _Sammy is going to be okay, it's just going to take a while, that__'__s all. _

**-0-**

Castiel could feel Sam Winchester's thoughts, the fear, and the pain. It made the angel-turned-god smile. He'd found them. It'd taken quite a bit longer than he'd originally thought, but, hey, he'd found them nonetheless. He pondered it all for a moment. He could beam his human body right to them, smite them on the spot, but what was the fun in that? No, he needed to see their faces, to watch their eyes light up in surprise, when he showed up on their stoop.

He grinned to himself and moved slowly forward through the trees. He felt great with all the souls coursing brightly inside him. He was in control and it was a powerful feeling, in fact, it was totally awesome.

**-0-**

Dean sat in one wooden chair on the front porch, Sam on the other. He glanced up to study Sam. His little brother looked pretty darn rough, but he seemed more rested now, more in control than he'd looked a few days back. It was hard coming out of hell; Dean knew that, he'd been there himself. He'd done all he could to be there for Sam, and he would be for as long as it might take.

Sam leaned his head backward and closed his eyes, let the gentle breeze caress his face. He was fighting his memories of hell as hard as he could. The memories of what he'd done in the last year without his soul, they turned his insides out. But, he'd faced himself, came out on the other side. He was awake. He could do this, he could survive, and he would. He wouldn't leave his brother alone, not now, not ever. He exhaled noiselessly.

"Sam?" Dean's voice pierced through the silence, concern cutting deep into his tone. "You okay?"

Sam tugged open his heavy eyelids and smiled. "Yeah," he closed his eyes again. "I'm okay," he said tiredly.

Dean released an anxious sigh, _Sam__'__s okay. He__'__s okay, just dozing, leave him alone._

The brothers sat in silence, a warm wind blowing through the trees.

_This is nice_, Dean thought. Time passed slowly. Suddenly, though, the hair prickled on the back of his neck. He sat up straighter in the chair and looked across at Sam. _He__'__s asleep._ The hunter chewed his lower lip. Something wasn't right. He looked quickly around the yard. _What the hell?_ He squinted.

A lone figure shuffled out of the trees into the sunlight.

Dean's heart pounded in his chest. "Shit," he yelped as he stood up, his chair clattering to the side of the porch with a loud resounding thud. He grabbed unconsciously for Sam with one hand as he yanked up his sawed off with the other. _A lot of good this gun__'__s going to do against a God! _

He felt Sam wobble to his feet, his brother stumbling in the sudden haste of being tugged physically awake. Dean gripped him tighter by the arm and pushed him roughly behind him.

"What…what?" Sam stuttered as he blinked open his sleepy eyes.

Dean heard Bobby yell from somewhere inside the house. "Dean?"

Dean sighed in resignation, it was too late - - they'd been found.

**-0-**

Bobby heard the ruckus on the front porch before he even realized what was going on. He'd thought maybe Sam had had another seizure or had fallen down or something. He dropped the gun he was cleaning on to the coffee table, yelled for Dean, and ran immediately toward the front door, ripping it nearly from its hinges, as he tried to get outside.

He stared in disbelief. _Idiot __–__ leaving the angel killing sword, the closest thing they had to destroying Castiel behind him in the room. _He reached up and grabbed at Sam's slightly swaying form, attempting to steady him between himself and Dean. _Some hunter I am!_

The angel stopped about five feet from the porch, body visibly humming with souls. He was practically glowing.

"Dean," Castiel said with a wink as he canted his head to the side.

_He seems very pleased with himself_, Bobby thought, _the stupid son-of-a-bitch_.

"Cas," Dean hissed out as his fingers coiled around the sawed off in his hand.

The angel smirked. "You know that won't do any good against me Dean." He offered up smugly.

"No, but it will make me feel a hell of a lot better." Dean darted a look at Bobby. "You got him?" He looked with hesitation at Sam.

Bobby nodded.

Dean released his grip on his brother, letting Bobby take the full weight of the limp and gangly form. He raised the sawed off up and pointed it directly at Castiel.

"It'll mess up that pretty little package that you wear." Dean spat.

"I'll just find another," Cas said smugly.

Anger thrummed through Dean's limbs. The gun stayed pointed at Castiel's chest as his finger twitched against the trigger. "What happened to you, man? I thought we were family?" he admonished disappointedly_. I can__'__t believe this shit._

Castiel laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

But then, another, louder laugh overshadowed his and he frowned. He turned quickly around.

There, stepping out of the tree line was Adam, red eyes gleaming brightly at them all.

"Family," Adam chuckled as he stepped forward. "How funny is that?"

Castiel looked stunned. _What the hell?_

"Adam," Dean whispered in shocked surprise.

"So you're the one that Crowley pulled from hell and sent to stop me?" The angel cackled. "He made you a demon?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Desperate times," Adam said.

Bobby rolled his eyes, poor kid sounded just like Dean.

Sam's head tugged up from Bobby's side. "Adam?" He squinted at the demon.

Adam pointed his handgun at Castiel and grinned, his crimson eyes flaring brightly in his skull. He stared down the would-be god. "I was family like a week," he chuckled, "And look what happened to me." He hissed out angrily. "I got dragged to hell by Sam, and left to burn forever."

Bobby felt Sam shudder.

Dean's eyebrows furrowed in disdain at the brother he'd never really known. It was too late now though, the kid was a demon through and through.

"And how's that family bond working out for you Castiel?" Adam grinned and chuckled.

Castiel frowned. He glared for a moment at the gun poised in the demon's hand. _Is that the Colt?_

"I'm sorry Adam, so sorry," Sam mumbled.

Adam fired the Colt.

**-0-**

Dean blinked open his eyes, attempting to clear his foggy vision. _Man my head hurts_.

"Oh shit, no, no, no…" he heard Bobby saying as the older man suddenly seemed to stumble down the steps.

Dean clamored to get up from the porch. _What the hell just happened? _He swayed as he reached for the chair and pushed himself upward, his unfocused eyes looking all around.

Adam was gone, the white smoke from the Colt lingering in the air where the demon had previously stood.

Bobby was kneeling on the ground beside something, but Dean couldn't see past the beige trench coat that was standing in his way.

Reality slowly filtered in through Dean's slightly addled thoughts. _Where__'__s Sam?_

In one swift movement he realized what had happened. He was down steps in an instant, shoving the angel out of the way. He fell to his knees beside his little brother. _Oh my God._

Sam's hand was pressed against his shirt, just above his stomach, bright red blood oozing out around it.

"Son of a bitch," Bobby hissed.

Dean just stared in disbelief.

"Dean, I need your shirt."

Dean looked at Bobby in shock. _This could not be happening_, _not again. _Memories of Cold Oak flooded his thoughts and he fought to push them back.

"Dean," Bobby demanded, "I need your shirt, Now!"

Dean knew an order when he heard one. He shimmied out of his over shirt and handed it to Bobby.

The hunter balled up the fabric and pressed it tight against Sam's chest.

Sam moaned as his eyes slid shut.

"Sammy?" Dean said as he cupped his little brother's cheek with is bloodied hand. His fingers caressed across Sam's forehead and pushed the too long hair aside. "Hey, open your eyes man; you're scaring me here, Sammy?"

Bare slits of hazel tugged slowly open and stared up at Dean.

"Dean?" Sam whispered weakly.

"Hey, I'm right here, it's okay." Dean said softly. _Too much blood, too much blood…_

"We need to get him to a hospital." Bobby stated.

Castiel took one step back, the angel turned God physically shaking as something in his chest tightened and he thought he couldn't't breathe.

"What have I done?" He said in a low voice.

He frowned slightly as he gazed down at Sam. "You saved me…" he looked at Sam in confusion. "Why'd you do that?"

A faint smile curled slowly to Sam's lips. "F...f...family." he mumbled as he looked weakly up at the angel.

"But…but, Adam, he was your family, not me?" The angel stuttered out in fairly stunned surprise.

"He…he was turned…you …you still got…" Bright red blood bubbled up against Sam's lips and dribbled lightly down his chin, "…a chance."

Dean gripped his brother's arm. He looked with disdain at the angel that he'd once called his friend. _Stupid son of a bitch didn't__'__t even know family when he had them. _

Castiel didn't know why, but suddenly he knew he couldn't't keep the souls. He also knew he couldn't't kill the Winchesters and Bobby Singer - not now, not ever.

He stared at Sam and frowned a moment; he'd kind of liked being a god, but hey, he guessed it wasn't meant to be. He sighed, knowing exactly what he had to do.

He stepped forward toward Sam.

Dean stood up quickly attempting to move around Sam's long sprawled out limbs and Bobby's crouched form. "You stay away from him," he said vehemently, his voice quivering with anger as he spoke.

The angel-god stopped, tilted his head, and looked at Dean. Their eyes met in a silent exchange, and then, he smiled forlornly.

Dean looked in confusion at the angel-turned-god recognizing something different in the features on his face. _Cas?_

In one swift motion, Castiel pushed past Dean, and shoved Bobby out of the way. He laid his now glowing hand down against Sam's blood covered shirt.

**-0-**

Heated anger immediately pulsed through Dean's veins. He moved on feral instinct alone, the fingers on one hand fisting tightly into the tattered tan raincoat as he physically gave Castiel a hard and painful punch across the nose. "Get the fuck away from my brother," he hissed through his tightly clenched teeth, 'cause punching Cas always hurt like hell.

The angel yelped as he stumbled backwards, landing on his butt from the force of his friend's fist across his face. He slumped for a moment, the stars spinning lightly in his line of vision. Quickly though, he blinked them back. He had to take care of Sam. _Damn Dean Winchester._ He clambered forward again, falling down upon his knees as he reached again for Sam.

Dean grabbed for the angel-god again. _Get the hell away from him._

"Dean, Dean," Bobby yelled. He shoved at Dean, pushing him away from Castiel. "Wait, wait…son…"

Dean continued to struggle against Bobby.

"Dean," Bobby hissed out angrily. "Stop it!" He physically wrapped himself around the kid, basically stopping the flailing arms.

"Bobby," Dean huffed out almost tearfully as he slowly gave into Bobby's command, his irate motions losing steam. "But…I can't…I can't let him hurt Sammy again." He slumped against Bobby.

"Look," the senior hunter stated as he bobbed his head downward toward Sam. "He's helping him, he's not hurting him, see."

Dean sucked in a ragged breath of air and looked down at Sam.

Castiel had his hand resting on Sam's chest where blood had been pooling only moments before and running into a puddle on the ground. The bleeding had stopped. Sam's face was no longer pale, and the pain lines, well, they'd all but disappeared. His brother looked to be asleep.

Dean staggered where he stood and fell to his knees; he released a shaky breath of air. "God…" he whispered as he brushed his fingers through his unconscious brother's sweat-soaked hair.

"I healed the gunshot and took some of the pain away from the wall," Castiel said in a weary tone as he lifted his hand from the wound. "I cannot, however, fix what the wall dropping has done to him, what he remembers on his own." The angel looked sadly at Dean. "I am truly sorry for that."

Dean swallowed thickly as warm tears welled up in his eyes. _Well, you should be you son of a bitch. _He hastily blinked the wetness back. He looked up at his former friend. _It would never be the same_. "Thank you for fixing…" his voice trailed off.

Castiel smiled weakly. "Yeah, well, I got a lot of things to atone for."

Dean nodded silently in agreement, his face focused in on Sam.

Bobby sighed in discontent. _I should__'__ve killed you when I had the freaking chance. _

"God will not be pleased with me," the angel continued. "So, you may not see me for a while, Dean." He gazed one last time at Sam. "Take care of your brother," he nodded his head. "He is special."

And with that, the angel was gone.

**-0-**

The first thing that Sam Winchester was aware of was the sound of his Uncle Bobby and his big brother arguing, heatedly, about what he did not know.

"I can't forgive him, he did what he did, and it is what it is. I'm just saying that god will make sure it doesn't happen again." Dean spat out in a low voice.

"Not before I do." Bobby said just as low.

Sam moaned lightly. _Wh__at are they arguing about?_

"It don't matter that he fixed what he could, it was too damn little, too damn late." Bobby stated in a matter of fact tone. "The son of a bitch is mine."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, whatever…"

Sam winced. They were getting on his nerves. They really needed to shut up. His head hurt, his chest hurt, and he really wanted to just go back to sleep.

Dean looked at Sam. _Did he just move?_ "Sam?" His voice penetrated Sam's cotton filled head. Relief seemed evident though, in the older brother's words.

Sam turned his head slightly he didn't want to open up his eyes. He didn't't need to see Dean to know he was awake.

"Open your eyes boy." Bobby demanded all of a sudden.

_Huh? Bobby seems bossy today_. Sam sighed and fought to tug open his crusty, sleep-laden eyelids. It was hard. He was too tired.

"Sammy," Dean's fingers curled around Sam's hand, practically squeezing the kid's fingers off.

"Ouch." Sam muttered as his heavy hazel eyes finally opened and he looked sluggishly at Dean. "Dude, you're squishing my fingers off," the youngest Winchester whined.

"Thank god, thank god, thank god!" Dean exclaimed in utter joy.

"Hallelujah," Bobby said as he clapped his hands together.

Dean released his vice grip on Sam's fingers. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled as he patted at Sam's hand and then sat down in the chair beside the bed. Twenty-four hours of worry and tension immediately left his now spaghetti limbs. _We didn__'__t know if Sam was even going to wake up, let alone remember who they are. _He cleared his clogged up throat. "So, you got tired of looking at the back of your eyelids, huh?" the big brother said sarcastically. "It took you long enough." He grinned goofily as he swiped unconsciously at the moisture on his face.

Sam blinked slowly as his thoughts came back on line. _Is Dean crying?_

Bobby sniffed loudly and said over his shoulder "I'll fix us some coffee." He abruptly headed for the door.

Dean snorted. Yeah sure he thought as he watched the hunter retreat from the room. He leaned in beside Sam's face.

Sam seemed to drift, his hazy eyes looking blankly forward.

"Hey, Sammy, look at me." Dean said as he once again tightened his fingers around his little brother's hand. He waited patiently for Sammy to respond.

Nothing - -

Dean began to panic when seconds ticked into minutes, and Sam hadn't done a thing. _Please god, let him be okay. _"Sammy, look at me," he said firmly as he squeezed Sam's hand again. Another minute passed and Dean held his breath and watched as Sam's unfocused eyes seemed to slowly focus.

Sam blinked several times and stared up at his big brother. His hazel eyes cleared, and a dimpled grin curled against his lips.

Dean heaved a sigh and relaxed as he looked happily at Sam. He released the vice grip on his little brother's hand.

"You," Sam whispered, "Look like crap."

**THE END!**

supernatural2010


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